This invention relates to a method and apparatus for mounting a door display.
The marketing of doors to the do-it-yourself home improver, or to contractors and professional carpenters, requires a door display device which can make the door readily accessible for inspection by the customer. Such door display devices must be capable of quick and simple construction at the point of sale, and must be capable of displaying the door in a functional condition so that the customer can operate the door and see how the door appears in an installation. The display device must be constructed in such a manner that it permits the display of numerous doors by utilizing a minimum of floor space at the point of sale.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,278 shows such a door display device. However, a suitable bracket system must be provided so as to permit the display to be mounted directly to the vertical members of pallet racks commonly utilized in home improvement stores. The bracket system must be sufficiently flexible to permit adjustment of the height of the brackets to accommodate the vertical members of the pallet assembly. Also, it is desirable to be able to mount two doors to a pair of brackets at the same time maintaining a strong rigid connection to the vertical pallet member so as to adequately support the weight of the door displays.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus for mounting a door display.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved apparatus for mounting a door display which permits the door display to be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled at the point of sale.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus for mounting a door display which permits a plurality of doors to be displayed in side to side relation while at the same time occupying a minimum of floor space.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus for mounting a door display which provides rigid strong attachment to the vertical member of a pallet rack commonly used in home improvement stores.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus for mounting door displays which is flexible in accomodating various heights of the holes which appear in the vertical members of the pallet racks.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved door display device which is economical to manufacture, durable in use, and efficient in operation.
The foregoing objects may be achieved by a door display adapted to be mounted to a vertical support member. The display includes a display frame comprising a pair of spaced apart side display frame members, a top display frame member, and a bottom display frame member forming a display opening. A door assembly is detachably mounted within the display opening, and a door is provided within the door frame. A door hinge pivotally mounts the door to the door frame for swinging movement about a door axis.
Upper and lower mounting brackets are provided and each comprise a first plate and a U-shaped plate. The first plate has a front face and a rear face and the U-shaped plate has a pair of spaced apart legs joined by a central web. The central web is attached to the rear face of the first plate. The spaced apart legs are shaped to embrace the opposite side faces of the vertical support member.
Upper and lower hinge members are attached to the front face of the first plate of the upper and lower mounting brackets respectively. The upper and lower hinge members pivotally connect the display frame to the upper and lower mounting brackets respectively for permitting the display frame to swing about a display axis with respect to the upper and lower mounting brackets.
The method of the present invention comprises taking an upper and a lower bracket, each of which comprise a first plate having a front plate face and a rear plate face and a U-shaped plate having a pair of legs joined by a web member. The web member is attached to the rear face of the first plate. The spaced apart legs are fitted around the vertical support member so as to embrace the vertical support member therebetween. They are then attached to the vertical support member so as to place the upper and lower brackets in spaced vertical relation to one another. Upper and lower hinge members are then attached to the front plate faces of the upper and lower brackets respectively. A door display frame is connected to the upper and lower hinge members for pivotal movement about a door display axis. A door frame is mounted within the door display frame and the door frame includes a door mounted therein for swinging movement about a door axis.